Condition & Symptoms - Level 1
Goal: Partner with the individual to find out what they understand about depression, including causes and symptoms.
Possible Action Steps
- Find out if the individual is interested in talking about their depression. If not, find out what the individual wants to talk about today and talk about that instead
- Find out whether individual can simply describe depression. Assist individual in finding simple terms to describe what depression feels like, such as down, low-energy, and bad mood.
- Ask individual to discuss one or two symptoms of depression. How do they explain where these symptoms are "coming from?"
- Find out if the individual has had thoughts of suicide and/or death. If yes, then ask if he/she has any plan or intention to act on suicidal thoughts. If the individual acknowledges a plan or intention to act on suicidal thoughts, then talk about the need to call 9-1-1 or a doctor. (NOTE: In addition, Health Coach is directed to follow company guidelines in this situation.)
- Provide individual with a supporting resource on a topic of interest to him/her.
- Provide individual with praise for participating in today's health coaching session today and provide an interesting supporting resource.
Supporting Resources
Goal: Build awareness of depression's symptoms and learn how individual currently experiences and responds.
Possible Action Steps
- Insert Steps Here
- Find out if the individual is interested in talking about the symptoms of depression. If not, find out what the individual wants to talk about today and talk about that instead.
- Learn about the depression symptoms the individual report has experienced.
- Find out if the individual has had thoughts of suicide and/or death. If yes, then ask if he/she has any plan or intention to act on suicidal thoughts. If the individual acknowledges a plan or intention to act on suicidal thoughts, then talk about the need to call 9-1-1 or a doctor. (NOTE: In addition, Health Coach is directed to follow company guidelines in this situation.)
- Ask individual about any physical and/or emotional symptoms they have that they may not identify as being related to depression. Ask about poor sleep, restlessness, sad thoughts and appetite.
- Learn what the individual does to respond to their depression symptoms.
- Provide individual with praise for participating in today’s health coaching session today and provide an interesting supporting resource.
Supporting Resources
Goal: Encourage individual to engage in a regular pleasurable activity on most days.
Possible Action Steps
- Find out if the individual would like to talk about engaging in a pleasurable activity of their choosing. If not, find out what he/she would like to talk about today and talk about that instead.
- Together, make a short list of activities the individual has done in the past that they enjoyed. Are they still interested in these activities?
- Find out if there are any activities the individual has never tried that are of interest to them right now. What would need to happen to get started on one of these new activities?
- Talk about how mood is elevated when engaging in a pleasurable activity. Ask individual to roughly figure the percentage of each day spent in pleasurable activities. Could this percentage be increased?
- Ask individual to commit to increasing the amount of time each day spent in pleasurable activity and notice any impact on mood.
- Provide individual with praise for participating in today’s health coaching session today and provide an interesting supporting resource.
Supporting Resources
Goal: Build awareness that non-prescribed drug use and alcohol consumption should be avoided for all types of depression.
Possible Action Steps
- Find out if the individual would like to talk about their non-prescribed drug use and/or alcohol consumption. If not, find out what he/she would like to talk about today and talk about that instead.
- Discuss how non-prescribed drug use and alcohol consumption could make depression worse.
- Find out if the individual has had thoughts of suicide and/or death. If yes, then ask if he/she has any plan or intention to act on suicidal thoughts. If the individual acknowledges a plan or intention to act on suicidal thoughts, then talk about the need to call 9-1-1 or a doctor. (NOTE: In addition, Health Coach is directed to follow company guidelines in this situation.)
- Find out if the individual would like to cut back, or quit, using non-prescribed drugs and/or alcohol.
- Find out if the individual believes they need help to deal with a drug and/or alcohol problem. If so, encourage dialogue with the individual’s most trusted healthcare provider.
- Provide individual with praise for participating in today’s health coaching session today and provide an interesting supporting resource.
Supporting Resources
Goal: Promote awareness of the language of depression.
Possible Action Steps
- Find out if the individual would like to talk about their understanding of depression. If not, learn what he/she would like to talk about today and talk about that instead.
- Find out if the individual has heard words and phrases used in the discussion of depression that they don’t fully understand.
- Together, review key depression terms and words – e.g. antidepressant, seasonal affective disorder, bipolar disorder, mania/hypo-mania, co-morbidity, bright light therapy, CBT, IPT, PST, electroconvulsive therapy, etc.
- Find out if the individual has any unanswered questions about depression – try to respond to each question.
- Find out if the individual has had thoughts of suicide and/or death. If yes, then ask if he/she has any plan or intention to act on suicidal thoughts. If the individual acknowledges a plan or intention to act on suicidal thoughts, then talk about the need to call 9-1-1 or a doctor. (NOTE: In addition, Health Coach is directed to follow company guidelines in this situation.)
- Provide individual with praise for participating in today’s health coaching session today and provide an interesting supporting resource.
Supporting Resources
Goal: Help individual identify their level of priority with regard to taking action to help themselves feel better right now.
Possible Action Steps
- Ask individual if they would like to talk about their accomplishments and life priorities. If not, find out what he/she would like to discuss today and talk about that instead.
- Engage individual in thinking about the importance of change – discuss his/her response to this question: "On a scale of 0-10, how important is it for you to take action to help yourself feel better than you do right now?"
- Together, identify a small action step to work toward feeling better right now.
- Ask individual if he/she would like to learn how other individuals who struggle with depression have found to be helpful first steps. If yes, provide a short list of action steps: take a short walk each day, do one fun thing each day, avoid/reduce alcohol, resume a meaningful hobby.
- Ask individual to commit to take a small action step to feel and function better.
- Empathize with individual’s personal experiences discussed today and provide praise for participating in today’s health coaching session. Provide individual with an interesting/helpful supporting resource.
Supporting Resources
Goal: Work with the individual to engender hope that depression usually gets better with time and effective treatment.
Possible Action Steps
- Find out if the individual would like to discuss their prescribed treatment plan. If not, find out what he/she would like to talk about today and talk about that instead.
- Describe the most common clinical treatment approaches to depression: 1) medication(s), 2) psychotherapy, 3) medication(s) + psychotherapy. Find out which approach the individual has been prescribed right now.
- Clearly express the view that research shows that the most effective treatment for depression is a combination of medication + psychotherapy.
- Talk about the likelihood that with time and sticking to the prescribed treatment plan, the individual’s symptoms of depression will resolve over time.
- Clearly express the opinion that research supports the combination of medication + psychotherapy as the most effective treatment for depression.
- Empathize with individual’s personal experiences discussed today and provide praise for participating in today’s health coaching session. Provide individual with an interesting/helpful supporting resource.
Supporting Resources
Goal: Help the individual get more help and support out of interactions with healthcare providers, family, and friends.
Possible Action Steps
- Find out if the individual would like to talk about key members of their healthcare team – primary care doctor, mental health counselor, psychiatrist, pharmacist, spouse, partner, family member, friend, neighbor, etc. If not, find out what he/she would like to talk about today and talk about that instead.
- Find out if the individual believes they have supportive-others in their life.
- Find out if individual believes they have ongoing positive contact with people outside his/her family.
- Together, role-play to help individual feel comfortable asking questions to a healthcare provider.
- Ensure that all necessary appointments are scheduled and the individual has transportation to get to healthcare appointments.
- Empathize with individual’s personal experiences discussed today and provide praise for participating in today’s health coaching session. Provide individual with an interesting/helpful supporting resource.
Supporting Resources